AN: Okay, readers. Here is chapter 1; yippee! Anyway, thank for reviewing, Shakilove and xxAngel of Deathxx22! Enough of my yapping; here is chapter 1! =D BTW, review, because it makes the world go round! ;)
Disclaimer: I only own little miss Dhi, her friends, the plot, and a green Shuffle iPod. The rest belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 1 (Dhi POV)
One of the most enjoying times of the year is fall. The scenery is absolutely riveting: the leaves morphing colors from bright green to yellow, red, and eventually brown before your very eyes; the sharp incense of smoke from chimneys finally receiving use after months of spring and summer; and small animals scurrying about to gather the last remnants of nuts and berries for their winter-long coma sleep. This is what other people say about it. Don't get me wrong; I love fall. It's just the big break from school that bothers me. Thanksgiving break.
When you truly have no family whatsoever, it tends to irritate you when others moan and groan about their parents forcing them to remain for the family and friends coming next Thursday. I always would like to scream at them, "AT LEAST YOU HAVE A FAMILY! Stop whining and be grateful!"
My family was gone. My mother took off when I was two, leaving me with my father and 13-year-old brother, Jay. I can barely remember him because he was murdered when I was eight. My father followed shortly after when I was thirteen. The Social Services have been trying to catch me and chain me to a foster family of their choice, so I've been on the run for three years. I still receive an education by being the top of my class at every school I change to, and I pray for a scholarship to college. If I even get that far in my school career.
I rarely attempt to make friends. If I get attached then trouble follows. There were only three people who have access into my life and remained there: Jennifer, the complete opposite of myself; my diary, the one thing that will listen and not respond; and Toto, a small Yorkie that suddenly appeared on my doorstep when I was fourteen. The diary and dog really aren't people to others, but they are to me.
It was the end of the day, and the rest of my colleagues were anxious to leave the dreadful French class. I stared out the window at the buckets of rain streaming down, and I sighed, causing the teacher, Mrs. Johnson, to shush me loudly. I shot her daggers. In turn, she cringed away and continued to grade the few tests that were turned in. Others were still working on their own tests while glancing at the clock periodically. After five more torturous minutes, the first bell to signal class was over rung four times. I stood and stretched gratefully, flipping a jock off when he whistled. I was the first out the door, and I turned left to go to my locker.
As I meandered down the hallways of school, the white walls devoid of anything remotely interesting, the tell-tale sign of a headache slowly shifted into my head. The commotion in the hallways only added to the war battling in my skull. People shoved me around and around as I struggled to get to the safety of my locker, and when I reached it the headache was pounding my brain.
I sluggishly moved my books into my locker and grabbed my backpack, trying to delay going home to a nearly-empty motel room. The only good thing there was Toto, waiting patiently for me to come home. I'm glad the motel manager likes small dogs; otherwise, I would have never been able to convince her to let Toto stay.
"Hey, Dhi!" my un-twin Jennifer squeaked. Her high pitch grated against my head, and I rubbed my temples in attempt to soothe the agonizing ache.
"What's up?" I asked cautiously. She was extremely jittery and bounced all over the place, a sign of pure excitement. Or, in my case, a bad omen for my immediate future.
"Guess what?" she blurted, not waiting for me to actually guess. "Dimitri invited me and you to a party tonight, so we're so going."
"You know I don't go to parties!" I protested.
"Please? Please, please, please go with me! I'll simply die if you throw me to the wolves!"
Rolling my eyes, I stated tiredly, "I just want to go home, eat dinner with Toto, and go to bed. No parties, no drinking, and no boys."
"You need to live your life a little; you're only 16 once. Don't exist in front of a TV. Just go to this party, and if you're not having fun, then I'll never drag you to one of these again," she coaxed. Her blue-gray eyes widened, and her bottom lip pouted out dramatically. I couldn't resist the look.
"Fine!" I huffed, slamming my locker and throwing my arms in the air. We walked in silence to the car, she bouncing and me simmering. She shoved me into the car and pealed out of the parking spot, speeding out of the lot and to her house. It should have been a twenty minute drive, but her car parked in front of her house in a matter of minutes. She slammed her door and came to my side, holding out her hand; I was stubbornly sitting in the seat, my arms folded over my chest.
"I can and will carry you into the house if you don't cooperate," she threatened. I was out in an instant, terrified that she'd actually do it.
"You owe me," I grumbled. She opened the front door, and we walked into the foyer.
"Is that you, Jennifer?" her mom called, strolling in from the kitchen. She was holding a tray of steaming cookies in her hands. "Oh! Hello, Dhi. Would you like a cookie, sweety?"
"Thanks, Mom," Jenn said as she shoved a cookie into her mouth like the Cookie Monster. I snickered, and she rolled her eyes. "We're just gonna get dressed for a party tonight."
"Okay, dear," she responded quietly, wandering back in the other direction.
Jenn shot me a triumphant smile and dragged me up the stairs into her room. Pink and black were the dominant colors, and it was orderly. Her wardrobe was gigantic, so it took her a few minutes to find both of us outfits for tonight. When she did, however, I was pushed into her bathroom chair; a feeling of unease settled into my stomach as she began to groom me.
"How long will this take?" I asked while she applied eyeliner and lipstick to my face.
She giggled, high and shrill, "Not long if you don't fuss. Otherwise, I will drag this out for a very long time."
"I'm shuddering in fear," I sarcastically said. It was rather quick, only ten minutes at most, so she handed me a pile of clothes, shoes, and accessories and left the bathroom.
I was...sexy, to say in the least. My chocolaty skin glowed with the soft blush, and the blue lipstick and eyeliner made my brown eyes pop. A low, dark blue half top covered my torso, but it exposed nearly all of my cleavage. Black skinny jeans, a white braided belt, and white thigh-high boots, along with a medium-size gray purse, completed the outfit. The outfit made my crow-black hair stand out against my skin, and the heels seemed to make me taller than my average 5'4 height.
"Are you done? Let me see!" Jenn's impatient voice carried into the bathroom. I showcased my outfit like a model, and she applauded.
"You look cute," I noted. Her orange-red hair had sparkling glitter in it, and the lipstick was magenta. Her milky skin had more color with the short black dress she wore. There was a belt that matched her makeup, and pink go-go boots only added to her slim frame.
"I was hoping for sexy or divalicious, but I guess cute works too," she sighed. I snorted at her attempts to cheer me up, and was thankful that she tried.
"I'm no guy. I was just saying how I think you look; Dimitri is bound to have a different opinion," I comforted.
We thundered down the stairs and were halfway out the door when her mother came out of the blue. "Stop." We froze like deer stuck in headlights. "Turn." We slowly spun on our heels to confront her form. "Where are you going dressed like that?"
"Umm... To a party. We'll be back by twelve, so don't worry." Jennifer's voice stuttered a little at the end and she fell silent.
"Relax. I'm just giving you the key since I'll be going out on a date anyway," her mother chastised, handing her a small key-chain with a single key dangling from it.
"Thanks, Mom," Jenn sighed. "See you later."
We raced out the door before she could change her mind and settled into the car. She cranked up the stereo, and "Tick Tok" filled the car. Very ironic.
"Let's party!" she shouted, reversing out of the driveway. Her house disappeared behind us, and we were on our way.